Hidden Affection
by theIdiosocracy
Summary: Their romance story was never told. Now it's time for their emotions for one another to be shown to the world. Just a story about the romance between Hamuko and Junpei as left off when Junpei asks for forgiveness... and when you have the option to say, "Just friends?" Seventh chapter is up!
1. Chapter 1: Just Friends?

I had the idea for this fanfic and wrote it down on a piece of paper a couple years back, lol. Enjoy this fanfic as much as I enjoyed writing it~

Also... I re-updated this chapter cuz I realized that I made a mistake... XD I said that Junpei had brown eyes instead of gray ones... I'm so horrible(and color-blind jk) b-but it's cuz I haven't played this game in ages! Dx Please forgive me. qq

**NOTE: _[This] _**is Junpei's thoughts. _[This] _is Hamuko's thoughts.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything, ATLUS owns these awesome characters.**

* * *

"Just friends?" Hamuko, the ruby-eyed auburn haired woman, had asked.

Hamuko has been wondering about her love life for a while now. She remembered how happy she had felt when Shinjiro was still here. Even though he was so rough towards her, a man who didn't know how to confess his feelings was a guy that caught Hamuko's attention. Shinjiro didn't really seem like the type of guy to fall in love with Hamuko, but then again… Shinjiro and Hamuko were very mysterious in many different ways.

But then… after Hamuko finally was able to confess to Shinjiro and he was able to do the same, Shinjiro had died by the hands of Takaya himself. Everything went down after that…. But there was one person who cheered Hamuko up the most after this happening…. It was Junpei. Junpei was right by Hamuko's side as she was crying her heart out, knowing that her love was not going to come back. Now here they are, present day. Hamuko realized that all this time, she was able to move on and fall in love with someone again.

Junpei and Hamuko were on the rooftop of Gekkoukan High School. The temperature was cool, and the wind felt wonderful. The view from the rooftop was breathtaking. But Junpei and Hamuko weren't there to enjoy it. They were having a conversation.

Junpei's dark gray eyes stared into Hamuko's ruby ones blankly.

"Huh?" Junpei suddenly responded in a worried tone. "Oh, so you want to be more than friends?"

He clearly didn't understand what Hamuko had meant by "just friends." Junpei looked to his side, thinking about what to name the relationship of Hamuko and himself under their current status as friends. He then looked up at Hamuko's face, staring into the red eyes that saw everything—his personality, his pain, and his own emotions.

"How about…," Junpei started, looking down at his hands, "…hmmm, I dunno. Best friends…? Yeah! That sounds about it! Best friends it is!"

Hamuko closed her eyes and gently shook her head. She opened her eyes and focused them down at Junpei's hand, longing to hold it. Then, she looked back into Junpei's face, his smiling face seemingly being able to light up Hamuko's solemn mood. Just looking at Junpei's face made Hamuko at least a little bit happier. She loved looking at his bright face and cheer along with him. She felt joyful just thinking about how happy he made her.

With her expressionless face, she stared deep into Junpei's eyes and uttered out the sentences, "Just friends? Not… lovers…?"

Junpei's eyes widened into panic. His face was filled with a dark red hue, obviously embarrassed of Hamuko's question. Junpei shook his head wildly, trying to wake up from this "dream."

"W-wha-!?" Junpei laughed nervously. "Y-you're kiddin', r-right? Haha…."

Hamuko, realizing that Junpei didn't feel the same way, turned away to look at the scenery. Hiding her watery eyes, she laughed and spoke, "Of course I'm kidding! Haha, why would I like a pervert like you?"

Junpei felt relieved that Hamuko was only joking, but he was also a bit unhappy. He liked Hamuko when they first met, but he knew that she would never feel the same way. Besides, she had Shinjiro-senpai. Shinjiro was a lot stronger than Junpei himself, and he was pretty sure that girls liked strong men. Besides, Hamuko and Shinjiro have been going out in secret before Shinjiro's sudden death. But Junpei was confused. No matter how forceful Hamuko was in a relationship, she was always so careful of others' feelings. So why would she say this to Junpei, knowing that Junpei had obviously liked her from the start?

"Uhhh," Hamuko giggled, "I'm very sorry, okay? I'm sorry I frightened you and played a bit. Look, I'll make it up to you, alright?" Hamuko turned to Junpei and smiled. "How about Hagakure the next time we hang out?"

"Uhhh—"

"Okay, it's a date! I'll be seeing ya back at the dorm then! I've gotta go do some things, so leave without me, okay?" Hamuko grinned again and walked through the door that lead back into the school. She looked back one last time before she waved, skipping happily to the hallway.

_**[Wait a minute…. Were those… tears? Did I see tears come out of Hamuko's eyes?]**_

Junpei shook his head and laughed nervously. "Nah, I must be seeing things. Hamuko would never cry over some mistake like this."

Junpei looked out at the town, recalling all of the times Hamuko would cry in front of Junpei. No matter how many friends Hamuko had, Junpei would always be the one she would come to if she needed to cry. She didn't even talk to her twin brother Minato about it—heck, Minato claimed that he barely knew her anymore. Hamuko kept so many secrets from everyone, thinking that she can endure the pain herself.

Junpei shook his head and looked up at the orange afternoon sky. "Or would she?"

...

Hamuko ran to the second floor of Gekkoukan High and ran into the women's restroom. She washed her face of the tears that accompanied her wet eyes with sink water and wiped the condensed water off from the mirror, looking at herself.

_[What was I thinking? Why did I ask Junpei a question like that? What am I, an idiot? Ugh, of course I am…. I'm a wreck who doesn't even know how to control her own feelings…. Why would Junpei like me? He's obviously still in love with Chidori, even though she had died….]_

Hamuko splashed more water on her face, shaking her head. She glanced back at the door, frowning a bit as she realized that she had to get out of school grounds soon. She sighed heavily and walked out of the women's restroom. Hamuko stood outside the restroom door for a moment, then she sighed again and walked on.

Hamuko has had trouble with her love life even before coming to Gekkoukan High. She wasn't really a romantic teenager. She forced her feelings to other people, making the boys even more shy. Even though a lot of guys found her attractive, none of them had the courage to talk to her, much less ask her out. She had always been the type of person to be fragile when a guy leaves her, even crying when she realized that no one had the courage to ask her out. She wanted love. She wanted to experience it and find out what her friends were talking about whenever they spoke of their boyfriend. She was curious and never wanted to be left out.

Hamuko laughed at herself, noticing how foolish she was being. Of course, if she couldn't force love, then she had to wait for love to come to her. But she was impatient, and she already loved Junpei. She just didn't know if he loved her back. It was an ongoing question, one that was filling her mind up everyday. She couldn't go a day without thinking about this question that constantly tore her mind in half. Does Junpei love her back? Or does he want to be "just friends"?

* * *

Well, is it an okay fanfic? XD Hahah, I might edit this in the future. Be on the look-out for new chapters! :3 XP Anyways, R&amp;R please! Thanks a lot for reading! X3 *huggles everyone* Luv ya all!~

**EDIT: God, you're such a weeaboo, Dio-chan.** Shut up, Cy-kun. e.e Anyway, as Cy-kun was saying, I'm such a weeaboo... I'll be re-editing my _freaking weeaboo author's notes, _so lol. Do people still read these? *awkwardly laughs* J-just move on to the next chapter please..

~theIdiosocracy, Dio-chan and **Cy-kun**


	2. Chapter 2: Doubt

HEY GUUUYYSSSZZZ! :'D Sorry, I've been on a sort of hiatus(sorry, sorry DX), but the chapter is finally up! X3 I kept on losing my flashdrive, had school, and some social problems. ._. I also have summer school(for extra electives[I have AP classes D:] so shh). So I'm so very sorry. ;~; *sighs* Anyways, your long awaited chapter has arrived. :'D Took me a while to get back into my style of writing(see! I was gone for a good cause I didn't want you guys reading a poopy version of my writing ;~;). Wellz, anyways, enough of me ranting. XD Enjoy~

**NOTE: _[This] _**is Junpei's thoughts. _[This] _is Hamuko's thoughts.

**ANOTHER NOTE: **In the Japanese version, Yukari isn't called "Yuka-tan," she's called Yukaricchi, so the same concept applies to Hamu-tan, Hamukocchi.

**DISCLAIMER: I wished I owned everything, but no, I do not own _anything_(except for my own writing), ATLUS owns these awesome characters. ;~;**

* * *

Hamuko gazed at the beautiful starry sky as she was finally heading back to the dorm that day. She was walking along the sidewalk and was almost at her destination. She blankly stared ahead but she still caught sight of the tall, dark green street lamps that were lit up, and they looked almost beautiful tonight… The clear night sky made the whole world seem a bit darker than it usually is, but the brightly shining moon was what mesmerized Hamuko. It stood there in its lonely throne, trying to shine bright enough for the whole world to notice it. It reminded her much of herself. Hamuko always tried to do things in order to get noticed, wanting everyone to give her a pat on the back, saying, "Dear, you did a very nice job." But even with the attention, she couldn't help but realize how lonely she still was… And, just like Hamuko, the moon was beautiful, yet lonely…

She shook off the feelings of hurt and loneliness out of her head. She then thought back to her plans. She knew that she was going to have to make Junpei fall in love with her, as blunt as he may be. That beautiful smile, those cloudy gray eyes… He was _dreamy _in every way, and Hamuko thought she was an idiot, not noticing how _perfect _Junpei was until now… But whenever she thought of what had happened today, her eyes would be brimmed with tears, her face blushing wildly at the realization of her own embarrassing actions. Come on, trying to confess by asking to be _lovers? _Who would do that..?

_[Of course, only a dork like me would do it... Ugh, I'm so stupid… I'll never be good enough to be with Junpei... Why did I even try in the first place?]_

Hamuko's face got an even darker shade of red, and she tucked her school bag right under her eyes to try to hide her blush. Junpei was confused—_clueless—_to Hamuko's feelings of love towards him. Did she not make it obvious enough? No, maybe she's being paranoid… But he should have noticed! Maybe he doesn't like her… Feelings of anxiety and unacceptance started going through Hamuko's head right to the point where she felt like just collapsing then and there. But her feelings and determination to break through Junpei's barrier was too strong, and she finally came to a conclusion. She _is _going to do this. She _will _make Junpei fall in love with her, no matter how hard it will be!

_**THONK!**_

"**OUCH!" **Hamuko suddenly yelped. She stumbled backwards and looked up. She lifted her right hand to touch her forehead, which now had a small bulge. A small tear came from her crimson eyes as she glared at the pole that she had just hit. "Stupid pole!" Hamuko cried. She frowned for a moment, then laughed at herself, yelling at inanimate objects for her own faults. She reached up to her eyes to wipe her tear, and continued to follow her route to the dorm.

Finally—just _finally—_she had reached the dorm. Hamuko sighed, and her arm reached out to open the door. A sudden breeze coming from the lounge reached Hamuko's face, and she smiled. She walked inside, and Yukari, noticing the cheerful presence of Hamuko, turned her head and giggled, "A little late, are we?" Hamuko responded with a laugh and said, "Well, I had _things _to do." Yukari grinned and focused back on reading her fashion magazine.

As Hamuko closed the door behind her, she was suddenly pounced on by the white shiba inu, Koromaru. Knocking her backwards, Koromaru started licking her face playfully, making Hamuko giggle uncontrollably. She was finally able to gasp out, "Koro-chan—haha—_stop!"_ The shiba inu obeyed and bounced off from Hamuko's body. Hamuko wiped her face with her sleeve and stood up, leaning in towards Koromaru, crimson eyes meeting the dog's blood red ones. "You wanna go for a walk, huh?" Hamuko smiled. Koromaru barked in response and ran around Hamuko excitedly. The girl simply giggled, and promised that she will walk him after changing out of her school clothes.

As Hamuko trotted over to the second floor of the co-ed dorm, she saw Junpei sitting on a chair, hunched over a textbook. When she saw him, she giggled and said, "Oh, well, this is a _very _rare sight to see!" Junpei jumped and quickly tried to hide the textbook.

"Wh-wha-?" He laughed. "Uhm, there must be a kind of misunderstanding. You see… ehhh…" Junpei shook his head and smacked himself. Hamuko laughed care-freely, and asked Junpei if he had wanted to walk Koromaru with her. "Oh, uh, sure," Junpei blinked.

_**[This is my chance…! I can ask her why she asked me that weird question… Or… maybe I'm just being too paranoid? But she didn't even give me a chance to answer... Or… was she just kidding?]**_

Junpei suddenly frowned, and Hamuko cocked her eyebrows. "Well," she broke the moment's silence, "I'm going to go change out of these clothes… I'll see you downstairs with Koro-chan." After saying this, Hamuko trotted up the stairs to her bedroom, where she had switched into a light outfit, consisting of a blue sweater, a white skirt, black stockings, and red boots. She placed her red earphones on their usual spot, wrapped her red scarf around her neck, and sighed.

_[What the heck was I thinking, asking Junpei to come along after what had happened today!? Ugh, I'm such an idiot… What am I going to do!?]_

Hamuko shook her head, and walked downstairs to the lounge. As she saw Koromaru happily running around Junpei, her lips pulled into a smile. She strolled over to the two, and spoke, "Well, let's go." Junpei looked up and nodded in response, escorting the girl to the door and opening it. "After you, _madam,"_ Junpei joked as Hamuko lightly hit him on the head. "Thank you," she grinned.

…

For a while, there was silence between the two. There was only the sound of Koromaru running around the empty shrine and panting, stopping a few times to sniff something that seemed interesting. But even though they weren't paying attention to one another, there was still a strange sense of tension around the air.

Finally, Junpei decided to break this awkward silence. He turned his gaze towards Hamuko and cleared his throat, "Hamukocchi, why did you ask me that weird question today?" Hamuko was fiddling with her mp3, but after hearing this, her eyes widened, and she froze. "Were you just kidding? Or…?" Junpei laughed nervously, turning his eyes back to the white shiba inu.

Again, there was a silence, but Hamuko finally decided to say something. She turned to Junpei and uttered, "I'm sorry…" Hearing this small apology, Junpei turned over to look at Hamuko, but instead of looking at her eyes, something else caught his sight. His lightly shaded eyes focused on Hamuko's forehead, and he felt his hand reaching out to touch the small red bump that was clumsily trying to stay hidden beneath the girl's auburn colored hair. Hamuko blushed a crimson red, and she froze as Junpei's hand touched her forehead.

_"Ngh,"_ Hamuko winced under Junpei's touch. She finally moved backwards and raised her hand to cover the bump on her head. "That _hurt, _Junpei-kun!" Hamuko was still blushing violently, and Junpei laughed, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that it would hurt _that _much, but seriously…" Junpei reached out once again and lightly came back in contact with the small injury. "... How did you..," Junpei trailed off. Hamuko moved her hand to the side, and held her arms under herself for support as Junpei leaned over to examine the bump even closer. All during this, the rhythm of the girl's heart was running faster each second, and she hoped that the dark haired man wouldn't notice her seemingly bursting heart.

_[Oh geez, what's Junpei doing? I hope this doesn't get really awkward…]_

Junpei's own thoughts filled his head, and his heart started beating a little bit faster each second. He felt his face get a little hot, and when his face got closer to Hamuko's, his blush grew a little bit darker. He ran his fingers delicately over the small bump, Hamuko wincing a bit from his touch.

_**[Hamukocchi's skin is so soft… Wait, what am I doing? I shouldn't be doing this… It's wrong, Hamuko likes someone else, I know she does…]**_

Suddenly, Koromaru ran up to them and barked at the two, panting. The shiba inu startled the couple, and Hamuko stood up abruptly, still blushing immensely. "L-let's go home, K-Koro-chan!" Hamuko exclaimed, at the same time uselessly trying to hide her blush with her red scarf. She walked on ahead with Koromaru, and Junpei sat alone on the bench, looking up at the blank night sky. He sighed to himself, finally standing up after a couple of moments.

_**[Face it, Stupei. You'll never get her.]**_

* * *

*gasps* What's going to happen next? D: Hopefully, you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter, ehehe... XS Well, as always, be on the look-out for the next chapter(hopefully it comes soon ;~;)! X3 Baibai, and I luv you all! *huggles everyone*~

**EDIT: **I decided to leave these notes here cuz it's a friendly reminder of who I used to be, lol. **Dio-chan didn't make a very good weeaboo, did she?** God, Cy-kun. You're incredibly annoying... I'll have to tie you up next time...

~theIdiosocracy, Dio-chan and **Cy-kun**


	3. Chapter 3: Sneaky Attempt

**Holy smokes, Dio-chan! You've submitted _another _chapter?!**

Yep, that's right, folks! I'm back after two years... Sorry, guys. e.e (**You better be sorry!** *muffles with a sock* Shush!) I've been on the _longest _hiatus _ever._ Lemme know if you guys don't like that, hehe... Anyway, here's the latest chapter for "Hidden Affection"! I'm so excited to be returning to this series! I'll of course be continuing this series, so long as my imagination can keep up. *cries metaphorically* Hope you all enjoy this chapter! I had fun making it~

~theIdiosocracy, Dio-chan and **Cy-kun**

**NOTE: ****_[This] _**is Junpei's thoughts. _[This] _is Hamuko's thoughts.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters, as much as I'd like to. ATLUS owns these characters. **

* * *

"Nngh."

This quiet noise came from a sleeping Hamuko, eventually arousing herself from her slumber. "What time is it?" she questioned herself, sitting up groggily. "Mmnnh…" She rubbed her eyes tiredly and glanced at the clock, which read 8 AM. "Aw crap… I'm gonna be late."  
The girl stood up and stretched, yawning as she trudged to the sink. She did her usual morning routine: brushing her teeth, washing her face, then brushing down her ridiculous bed-hair and tying it up into a high ponytail. She then changed from her bright pink pajamas into her school outfit, zipping up her black jacket.

"Muko-chaan." Yukari's voice sounded from behind the door. "You awake yet? It's time to go."

"I'm almost ready!" Hamuko replied. "Just need to grab my stuff!"

Hamuko hurriedly grabbed her school bag and mp3 player, placing their headphones where they would usually be. She opened up her door and saw a smiling Yukari.

"My, my," Yukari grinned, "waking up a bit late now, are we?"

Hamuko blushed. "Sh-shut up! I was just, ehh, laying down a bit before I got up."

Yukari giggled, pacing down the stairs. "Well, hurry it up, ya lazy bum! We'll be late!"

"Cominngg," Hamuko groaned, closing her door and following after her brunette friend.

As she walked down the stairs, she caught sight of Junpei on the second floor, both of them locking eyes. Hamuko felt her face get hot, and she broke eye contact. Junpei smiled a bit when she did, proceeding to go down the stairs himself.

…

Yukari and Hamuko sat next to each other on the train. Yukari focused on the view, as usual, and Hamuko stared at the ground, rethinking the past events.

_[Ehh.. I'm such an idiot. I blush just looking at his face! But his eyes are so kind… I can't help staring at them.]_

"Hey, Muko-chan." Yukari's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Mmm?" Hamuko's crimson eyes darted from the floor to Yukari.

"What do you think about Junpei?"

"Eh?" Hamuko blushed a bit, turning back to the floor. "W-what do you mean? I mean, he's a nice guy. He's very funny, class clown! Ehehe…" Hamuko awkwardly laughed, brushing her short bangs aside.

Yukari snickered. "Hey, now. You're so easy, Muko-chan." Yukari turned and faced Hamuko. She leaned closer to Hamuko, her brown eyes staring deeply into Hamuko's red ones. "You like him, don'tcha?" Yukari grinned as Hamuko's face turned a darker shade of red, eyes quickly shifting back and forth from the ground to Yukari's face. Yukari sat back onto her seat. "You're so obvious! You came back to the dorm alone with Koro-chan last night, and when I asked you what happened to Junpei, you completely freaked out! You're so adorable when you get all flustered!" Yukari laughed again, Hamuko angrily pouting at the brunette. Yukari stopped and poked Hamuko's cheek. "I'll support you, okay?" Hamuko simply nodded, turning back to the window of the train to stare at the view over the ocean.

…

"Stupei. Stuuupei. Get up."

Yukari shook Junpei's seemingly lifeless body. He'd fallen asleep again during the lesson. The school bell had already rung, and, having nothing to do after school, Hamuko, Yukari, and Aigis decided to walk home together with him.

"Perhaps we should pour cold water over him," Aigis suggested.

"Aigis!" Hamuko yelped. "That'll get him sick!"

"But," Aigis protested, "Junpei-san once said that idiots do not get sick. Therefore-"

"No, Aigis!"

Having been shot down, Aigis sadly stared down at the floor. Yukari sighed.

"Maybe we _should _pour cold water over him," Yukari shrugged, and Hamuko glared disapprovingly.

"As the Tartarus field leader," Hamuko spoke in a commanding voice, "I suggest that we should _not _get a fellow party member sick."

Yukari groaned. "Then how do you suppose we should wake him up?"

Hamuko thought a bit. "I don't know… he's a bit of a pervert, isn't he? Maybe if we-" Yukari smacked Hamuko before she even got her thought out. Hamuko giggled a bit. "Okay, okay, fine. Should we just leave, then? We can grab Fuuka-chan and Mina-kun on the way."

Yukari sighed. "Last chance, Stupei!" she yelled into his ear. No movement. Yukari turned to the door. "We'll be on our way!" Yukari walked off, and Aigis quickly followed.

Hamuko frowned a bit and patted Junpei on the back. She then caught sight of his sleeping face, smiling as she stared.

_[He doesn't look so tense, now. He seems at peace. It's quite fitting for him, honestly.]_

Hamuko took a glimpse of Junpei's lips, seemingly taunting her as she stared.

_[Maybe just this once…]_

Hamuko glanced around the room, checking if there was anyone around. Seeing that there was no one, she stared back to Junpei's lips. Her face turned bright pink, and she leaned in closer to his face, her heart thumping louder every second.

_[What are you doing? You should stop.]_

Hamuko ignored her thoughts, and she closed her eyes, leaning closer and closer.

_[Stop.]_

"Nng…" Junpei shifted his shoulders around a bit, not moving his head as if he knew what was coming. Hamuko continued to get closer, her lips a millimeter away from Junpei's own.

_[STOP.]_

"...Mukocchi?"

Hamuko jumped back, startled. "E-ehh?!" Hamuko screamed. "J-J-Junpei-kun!" Hamuko's face was completely covered in crimson. "You're awake now!"

"Yeah…" Junpei yawned, rubbing his eyes. He stared at Hamuko's face. "Why's your face so red?"

Hamuko brushed off his question and turned to the door. "Yukari-chan and the others are waiting for us! Get up and let's get moving! If you don't move, I'm not choosing you to party for Tartarus tonight!"

Junpei groaned, getting up from his seat. "But Hamuko-chaan," he whined, "I was having such a good dream. There was you and Ai-chan, and Fuu-chan too, all in these cute, tiny swimsuits, and-"

Hamuko threw her school bag at his face with deadly aim. "Let's go, you old perv!" Hamuko yelled, hurriedly grabbing her bag and rushing out of the classroom.

"Coming, ma'am!" Junpei yelled back, chuckling.

_**[She's so gullible. Nowadays, I can only dream about her smile.]**_


	4. Chapter 4: Tease

Hoi! Am back, guys! :3 Long time no see! I've been getting better at updating chapters! xD **Yeah, hopefully you don't have to wait another 2 years for chapter 5. *coughs*** *glares at Cy-kun* Ahem, anyway, thanks for waiting! Here is chapter four! Hope you all love it~ ;3

**NOTE:** _**[This] **_is Junpei's thoughts. _[This] _is Hamuko's thoughts.

**DISCLAIMER: These characters are the property of ATLUS. The only thing I own is my fanfic.**

* * *

Hamuko stormed out of 2-F, and Yukari, catching sight of her, strolled over to her.

"So?" Yukari questioned. "Did Junpei wake up?" Hamuko sighed a bit, and Yukari laughed, "I'm pretty sure he'd wake up for his _Hamukocchi_." Hamuko shot Yukari an extremely annoyed look. Junpei then walked out of the classroom himself. He walked over to the pair, Hamuko still glaring at the laughing Yukari.

_**[Guess Hamuko is back to her normal self, eh?]**_

Junpei grinned at bit. "How 'bout we head to the mall and play some arcade games?" he suggested. At this, Hamuko's face lit up. Junpei chuckled. "Guess that's a yes from the field leader!"

Yukari snickered a bit and walked off to meet Aigis and the others, followed by both Hamuko and Junpei. Regrouping, they all agreed to head to the arcade.

…

When they reached the Paulownia Mall, Aigis immediately started bringing up questions about the kinds of games that were in the arcade.

"I find that I am extremely skilled in the areas of "action" and "first-person shooting"," Aigis said. "Can I perhaps exceed in the game versions of these as well? Or will I need extra training?"

Hamuko giggled, "Mmn, well, we can see for ourselves once we get into the arcade. I'll play a game with you, Aigis!"

"I will very much appreciate that," Aigis smiled.

"Oi, oi, Hamukocchi!" Junpei exclaimed. "Don't you forget, you owe me a game too. _And _Hagakure."

Hamuko pouted. "But I wanna play with Aigiiss."

The male sighed and put his hand on Minato's shoulder. "Do something about your twin sister."

Minato looked at Junpei, then to Hamuko, then back at Junpei. "No."

The defeated Junpei sulked, causing Yukari to laugh while Fuuka desperately tried to cheer him up. Hamuko sympathetically patted the male on the back, promising to play with him after she played a game with Aigis. At this, Junpei immediately sprung up and hugged the girl, holding her all the way to the arcade.

As soon as the group of teens got to the arcade, Junpei pulled Minato to a shooting game, whilst Hamuko and Aigis headed toward another one. Fuuka and Yukari stayed outside playing the crane games, Yukari getting angrier each time she failed. Fuuka tried to calm down the angered Yukari, finally giving up and asking if the brunette wanted to play another game.

Junpei and Minato finished their game first, so Junpei went on to wait for Hamuko at the two girls' game. Aigis was doing quite well, along with Hamuko, who was constantly instructing the blonde girl on what to do. As soon as they finished, Junpei wasted no time in dragging Hamuko to a fighting game.

"I'll win this time!" Junpei exclaimed. "You were only lucky last time!"

The auburn laughed, "Are you sure about that, Junpei-kun?"

Junpei didn't respond, quickly choosing his character of choice. Hamuko grinned when she saw how determined Junpei was to beat her.

_[Hmm, maybe I should just let him win this once.]_

"And don't you think about just handing over the victory to me!" Junpei yelled.

Hamuko blushed. "I-I was not thinking that! Idiot!"

"I ain't tryin' ta let you go easy on me! Gimme all you got!"

"If you say so…" Hamuko's lips pulled into a broad smile as she began choosing her own character.

…

"Aaaaand that's that!" Hamuko beamed. "I win again!"

Junpei groaned loudly. "Just one more, please! I almost got you!"

Hamuko gave Junpei an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Junpei-kun, maybe next time." She looked over slyly. "Hmph, I should've bet Hagakure on this. That way I wouldn't have owed you…"

"Ehh…" Junpei sighed, leaning against the machine. He looked up at Hamuko's face and smirked, taking off his hat and placing it on Hamuko. Hamuko's face flushed red and looked questionably at the hat on her head. "Keep it. You've earned it. Besides, I got another identical one back at the dorm."

_[I get to keep… Junpei's _original trademark _hat? Damn it! He's making it so hard… I just wanna…]_

Hamuko's eyes shifted to the ground.

"What is it? You don't like it?"

"No, no," Hamuko quickly replied, looking back at the man's face. She hastily gazed back at the ground. "I-it's just…"

Junpei bent down, his brown eyes staring right into the crimson eyes of the girl. "Just…?" Hamuko stared back, her lips quivering.

_**[Now's your chance Stupei! Just kiss her!]**_

_[How stupid can you be, Hamuko? He's right there! Just need to lean in…]_

Hamuko bit her lip, her blush deepening in color. She slowly began to lean in, closing her eyes as she neared Junpei's face. Junpei froze as the auburn girl got closer to his face. His heart began to beat faster, his face flushing over in crimson. Their lips were only a millimeter away now, and neither of them were showing any signs of pulling away.

_[Please…]_

"...Sis?"

Hamuko immediately pulled back, covering her face with Junpei's hat. "Minato!?"

In response, Minato appeared from a row of arcade machines. "Are you two ready to go?" he asked. "Everyone wants to go back to the dorm, you know, to get ready for Tartarus tonight. We can't stay here all day." He looked at Junpei, then to Hamuko's flushed face. "Are you okay? You feel sick?" Hamuko quickly shook her head. "You sure? You know I can handle the group by myself. If you feel unwell, it wouldn't be wise to push yourself."

Minato looked back at Junpei. Junpei looked down at the ground, hesitant to look at Minato. Finally getting the idea, Minato smirked. He walked over to the other male and put his hand on his shoulder. "Take care of my sis, will ya?" He turned around and started walking. Waving his hand, he teased, "Have her back by ten!" Minato walked off, chuckling.

"Hah, that Minato…" Junpei scratched the back of his head. "What a kidder…"

Hamuko turned her gaze to Junpei, suddenly grinning. She reached over and pulled his collar, pulling Junpei to her, their lips colliding for a kiss. Junpei was surprised at first, his face blushing a pure red. Then, he smiled. Hamuko pulled back, giggling. "Well, I guess I have you til ten."

* * *

So, I was actually debating whether or not I should tease you guys. xD In the end, I decided that you guys deserved a little somethin-somethin for your patience in this series. ;3 **Dio-chan likes torturing people. I should know...** *sighs while pulling out duct tape* He needs to shut up, don'tcha think? ^^

~theIdiosocracy, Dio-chan and **Cy-kun**


	5. Chapter 5: Dangerous Date

I HAVE A FEELING YOU ALL ARE GONNA HATE ME FOR THIS CHAPTER BUT I'M POSTING IT ANYWAY! **DIO-CHAN DID SOMETHING VERY BAD! SHE-** *muffles with a sock* SHUT UP YOU'RE GONNA RUIN IT. Anyway, you guys might start hating me for the next few chapters, all the way to the end, hehe... What can I say? Uh... sorry in advance.

Also, it's rated M because of the language and some blood. There's also a vague scene in there as well, but it doesn't actually happen.

**NOTE:** _**[This] **_is Junpei's thoughts. _[This] _is Hamuko's thoughts.

**DISCLAIMER: These characters are the property of ATLUS. The only thing I own is my fanfic.**

* * *

_**BREEP BREEP!**_

"Mmn…" A hand reaches out to grab the cell phone. "H-hello?" Hamuko sat up and ran a hand through her auburn hair. She then rubbed her eyes tiredly while yawning, waiting for a response.

"Yo, Mukocchi!" Junpei's energetic voiced boomed into Hamuko's right ear. "Not awake yet, are ya?" He chuckled from the other end. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out, y'know? Let's uhh… go to the shrine maybe? Or uhh, I dunno, that _Hagakure _you owed me?" As he laughed again, Hamuko grinned tiredly. "It's up to you! I'll be waiting downstairs! Just come down when you're ready!" Hamuko gave him an okay and hung up. She then stretched, standing up from her bed and heading to the sink.

After she was done with her morning routine, and putting on her usual winter outfit, she opened her door and walked downstairs to meet Junpei. Junpei was sitting down in the lounge, reading a manga magazine. He caught sight of Hamuko as she went down the stairs.

"Heyy," he laughed, "you look cute!" Hamuko blushed, hiding her face with her red scarf. "Aw, don't be shy about it!" At this, Yukari walked over from where she was sitting to hit Junpei on the head with the magazine she was reading.

"Don't tease the girl like that!" she lectured. Junpei gave her an apologizing look and glanced back at Hamuko, grinning a bit as he gave a faint blush. He looked up at Yukari and said, "I wasn't teasing, Yukaricchi." Yukari looked down and turned red at his smile, smacking him again with her magazine. "A-anyway!" Yukari looked over at Hamuko. "Geez, you and your twin brother. Both of you wake up _sooo late_."

At this, Minato himself walked down the stairs. He stopped and stared at the watch on his wrist. "Who're you calling late?" he asked. "I'm just on time." Yukari frowned a bit, walking to his side. "You're ready, aren't you?" Minato grinned, making Yukari blush. He turned to his sister. "Don't be out too late, you hear me? You still have a curfew, Sis."

Hamuko pouted. "Mina-kun, I can take care of myself." She looked into his dark blue eyes and smiled. "You take care too."

Minato smiled back and softly roughed Hamuko's hair a bit. After this, he walked out of the dorm with Yukari in tow. Junpei watched them leave, later turning his own gaze to Hamuko.

"Shall we leave as well?" he questioned. Hamuko nodded and walked over to Junpei. The male stood up and the two left the dorm. "Where to go?" Junpei asked as they closed the door behind them.

"Hmm, I wanna go to the shrine." Hamuko quickly glanced up at Junpei. Her eyes shifted from the sky behind him to his face.

Junpei laughed, "Of course!" He suddenly turned to the direction of the shrine. "To the shrine we go, then!"

The two walked together, side by side. A few minutes in, Junpei began adjusting his hat, finally giving up and sighing. "I kinda miss my old hat." Hamuko looked up apologetically. Junpei stared down, and quickly stumbled, "No, no." He gave the girl a smile accompanied by a faint blush. "I feel better knowing that it's with you." Hamuko's face turned a deep red color, and she again covered her face with her red scarf. Junpei chuckled. "You're cute when you blush. Do it more!" He teased her, poking her cheek. Hamuko pouted, and pulled her scarf down a bit. She grabbed the collar of Junpei's jacket, alarming him. She pulled him down and kissed his cheek. The girl let go and grinned at the male, whose face was completely flushed in crimson.

"Th-that's not fair!" he yelled. "You physically attacked me! You gotta do it verbally for it to count!"

Hamuko laughed. "You make it sound like I want to hurt you." Junpei stared at her ruby eyes.

"Maybe you do," he responded, looking the other way. Hamuko frowned and kicked him on the shin. The male winced, hopping on one foot while rubbing the other. "Geez, Mukocchi, you really do wanna hurt me."

The girl grinned. "Maybe I do."

…

"We're finally here!" the man exclaimed, dramatically dragging his legs up the stairs. "It's been _four long years_!" Hamuko giggled at his idiotic act, making him grin. As the two got up the stairs, Junpei's eyes widened. "Heyy! I forgot that there was a playground here! Muko-chan, wanna swing together?" Hamuko nodded, and quickly made her way to the swingset. "Now, you sit, and I'll stand." Hamuko followed his orders, and sat as directed. Junpei got up behind her. "Now, just swing like you would normally, but not too high, or I'll fall on my ass."

Hamuko swung her legs back and forth. "Ehh… is this alright?" Hamuko tightly gripped on the ropes.

"Yep! Just go a little higher! I can take it!"

The two swung together for a bit, laughing as they challenged to go higher. "Hey," Junpei yelled through his laugh, "remember when I first suggested this to you?"

Hamuko blushed and laughed, "Yeah, I do." She looked up at the sky. "I… just didn't think we'd be doing it together… a-as a couple."

Suddenly, Junpei stopped, and his face expression changed.

_**[Wait, a-as a couple? We're… together now, right. So why am I…?]**_

Junpei stopped and got off the swing. He looped around the swing set to face the girl. Hamuko looked up at him questionably, and the couple continued to stare at each other. Hamuko was blushing, but Junpei's face stood emotionless.

_[As a couple! That sounded right, didn't it? We're a couple now, me and Junpei… I'm finally super excited about something again, even after Senpai.]_

_**[I'm happy, right… Hamuko and I are together now. I'm happy. But why am I so… conflicted? Is it Chidori? Am I still hoping that she's going to come back to life? But it's impossible. She can't… I… I still love Chidori… Does this mean that I'm not ready for Hamuko?]**_

Hamuko then noticed the pain that Junpei's gray eyes suddenly possessed.

"Junpei-kun?" Hamuko hesitantly whispered. The male's eyes suddenly came back to life. "I-is something wrong?"

Junpei shook his head. "Nah, nothing's wrong!" He smiled. "Say, you're really ready for you and I, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Hamuko cried excitedly. "Aren't you?"

A pained smile spread across Junpei's face. "Yep!"

_**[I can't hurt Hamuko… Not when she's like this…]**_

"Let's play around some more!" Junpei suggested. Junpei ran to the jungle gym. "I'll race you to the top!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Hamuko giggled, chasing after him.

After a few hours of laughing together on the small playground, Junpei suggested some Hagakure. "Fine, fine, sheesh!" Hamuko sighed. "You're so impatient for your ramen."

The two headed over to the strip mall, exchanging stories during their trip. When they finally reached the store, they had ordered the same thing - two large bowls of ramen, both of them racing to finish first.

"Done!" Hamuko shouted, wiping her mouth with a couple of napkins.

"Geez, Muko-chan! First an arcade game, and now Hagakure?" Junpei groaned. "You're beating me on everything. Slow down for a change." He affectionately patted Hamuko on the head, receiving a cute grin from her.

"I actually… still want to go get some sweets." The girl gave Junpei an apologetic look.

"Do you actually have the money for that?" The girl quickly pulled out a bulging wallet. "Geez, you're loaded! You owe me more than Hagakure now!"

The crimson eyed frowned, softly hitting Junpei on the shoulder. The male laughed. "I'm kidding! Let's go get something sweet, then."

The two headed for the sweets shop, Hamuko's lips pulling into a smile as they neared its sweet aroma. It was a bit too much for Junpei, since Junpei didn't regularly eat sweets as much as Hamuko or Yukari did. He went in anyway, for Hamuko. After both of them had a slice of cake each, Junpei suggested going to the manga cafe. Hamuko readily agreed, and Junpei was relieved that he asked someone that shared his same interests out on a date.

"Hey, Muko-chan." Junpei caught the attention of the auburn haired girl. The two opened the door to the cafe and sat down.

"Mm?" Hamuko responded from across the small table, looking up at his gray eyes.

"What's your favorite manga series?" he asked. He picked up a nearby book, and opened it, looking through the pages. "I like the action ones, you know? Kinda like _A Certain Scientific Railgun_."

"Eh…" Hamuko pondered. She picked up a nearby book herself, admiring the cover. After a few seconds, she shook her head. "I don't think I have a favorite. I read different kinds…"

"Ah, like what? If you want, I can lend you a series of my own."

Hamuko grinned, and put her head on the table, leaving her hands underneath. "Well, I read shoujo. I do also read action. It'd be nice if you could lend me one of those."

Junpei looked up from the book he was looking through. "Yeah, sure."

The two stayed at the manga cafe until the sun went down, each poking fun at each other and enjoying the books. Finally, Hamuko suggested they should leave, since they were a few minutes past the time they were supposed to get back.

"Mitsuru-senpai's gonna be _sooo _pissed," Junpei groaned. "She's probably going to execute me…"

Hamuko smirked. "Yeah, like she did at the trip." Junpei simply gave her a scared look, and Hamuko immediately apologized. "I didn't know she was going to be that tough on you guys." She laughed immediately after. "Though, you guys did deserve it, what, after Ryoji-kun being _suuuch _a pervert about it. And Yukari was going on about ghosts… Haha!"

Hamuko laughed carefreely as they walked back to the dorm, unknowing of the group that followed the two. Suddenly, Junpei froze.

"Say, Hamuko…" Junpei's tone turned serious. He turned. "Don't you feel like- _**GAH!**_"

…

"We're back!" Minato shouted into the dorm. Yukari walked in from behind him. "Where's Muko…?" Minato looked around the lounge. "She should've been here before me…"

Yukari gave Minato a worried expression. "You don't think they got into a bit of trouble, don't you?" Minato looked at Yukari, his eyes riddled with complete restlessness. Yukari laughed nervously, "C-come on! I mean, even Stupei wouldn't be _that_ stupid, right?" The brunette shifted her gaze at the ground, fiddling with her thumbs.

Minato shook his head. "But Sis knows better than to stay out this late." Minato's expression suddenly turned pained. He winced a bit, and said quietly, "N-no… There's definitely something wrong." He turned back to the door. "I'm going to go find them." As his hand grabbed the door handle, Yukari immediately followed.

"I'm coming too, then!" Yukari insisted.

Minato quickly shook his head at her. "No. I don't want the two girls I care the most about to both get hurt if something really is up… I want you to stay here." His sapphire eyes rested on Yukari's brown ones. He placed a hand comfortably on the girl's shoulder. "I'll be back."

…

"J-Junpei-kun!" Hamuko cried, rushing over to Junpei. A couple of hands pulled her back. "Nngh!" Hamuko looked back. "Let go, you asshole!" A couple of guys chuckled in response.

"We'll be holding on to your… girlfriend, if you don't mind." A man appeared from behind the group of thugs, smirking. "Remember us?"

Junpei got up and spat at the ground. "Of course," he responded. "How could I forget trash like you?" The man's expression changed sour, and he reached over to land another punch on Junpei.

"Your senpai won't be here to save you again, what, after he went off and died." The man laughed.

Hamuko froze, her face filled with pain. Junpei, noticing this, landed a blow on the thug. "Sh… shut up! We don't need him to fucking save us! We can take care of ourselves! _**AUGH!**_"

A couple of the thugs held Junpei as their leader wiped a small amount of blood of his face. His eyes grew into a frenzy, and he immediately covered Junpei in a series of punches. Blood leaked out from Junpei's nose and mouth.

"Sh-Shinji-kun!" Hamuko suddenly cried. Junpei's eyes widened at this, realizing her sudden mistake. He stared at Hamuko, who was crying, tears spilling down from her cheeks. She was stunned by the name she had just called out, but immediately dismissed it. "Stop! Please, I-I'll do anything!"

The man stopped, and stared at Junpei's gray, dead eyes. The thug grinned and motioned for his associates to drop him. Junpei's body fell to the ground, completely lifeless.

_**[F-fuck… I can't do anything… I'll never be as good as Shinjiro-senpai… I'm fucking useless. I can't even take care of myself, much less Hamuko. Of course I'm not ready…]**_

The group surrounded Hamuko. "You'll do anything, eh?" laughed the leader. Hamuko was tossed onto the ground. She winced, and looked up at them helplessly. Her tears wouldn't stop streaming out of her eyes. "Does that include…" He grabbed at her, ripping off some of her clothes. Junpei stared as the group surrounded Hamuko. He wasn't strong enough to move. He couldn't do anything.

_**[Crap, I can't fucking do anything. I'm not like Shinjiro-senpai. I can't save Hamuko! I'm nothing like him. I'm just useless, just as much fucking trash as these assholes are! Fuck!]**_

Junpei shakingly stood up, his legs weak below him.

_**[I can't think about this now! I have to save Hamuko…]**_

"_**HEY!**_" A voice sounded, but it wasn't Junpei's. "GET THE FUCK OFF HER!" A figure ran down and punched one of the thugs, knocking them out. The bright moon illuminated the face enough for Junpei to identify who it was. It was… Minato. "GET OFF MY SISTER, YOU SHITS!" Minato knocked another thug down. "NO ONE MAKES HAMUKO CRY!"

The leader tried to hit Minato, but he had managed to dodge it and beat him down. The man's body hit the ground, falling unconscious.

"S-shit!" One of the thugs started running. "Let's get the fuck outta here!"

The group quickly dispersed, and Minato immediately went over to Hamuko. The girl grabbed onto him, sobbing uncontrollably. He hugged her tightly as she cried, his face pained at the sight of her tears. He put his jacket over her, telling her to stay put. Minato walked over to Junpei.

"Minato-kun…" Junpei couldn't meet the other boy's cold, blue eyes. "I'm sorr-"

Minato socked Junpei in the face. Junpei fell onto the ground. "Sorry doesn't do anything!" Minato yelled at Junpei, his voice cracking. "You're fucking useless, you hear me!? Ever since Tartarus… the fucking Dark Hour, fucking Shinjiro-senpai! Fuck, all of you!" Minato was about to land another punch on Junpei when Hamuko ran up and held him back.

"Minato, stop! Please…" Hamuko's tears soaked onto the back of Minato's shirt. Feeling this, he put down his fist. He cursed quietly and looked down at Junpei, his own tears uselessly hiding under his bangs.

"I'm only stopping because Hamuko told me to." Minato turned his face to the side. Quietly, he said, "I can't… fucking trust you anymore with Hamuko." Minato turned to Hamuko, hugging her tightly again. "Let's go back…"

Minato carried Hamuko on his back, his blue eyes hidden under his bangs. Junpei watched silently as the two left. He looked up at the moon and cursed himself.

_**[Fuck! I can't do anything right!]**_

* * *

Heya, a few notes...

-_A Certain Scientific Railgun_ is a manga series, also an anime series. IT'S LOVELY, YOU SHOULD READ.

-The thug leader that beats up Junpei is the same one Shinjiro saves Minato/Hamuko, Yukari, and Junpei from when they were going out getting info on Fuuka.

-Minato yells out, "No one makes Hamuko cry!" This is the same line from Clannad... When Sunohara beats up the soccer thugs for making his sister Mei cry. If you guys haven't watched it, you should. It's a great anime.

-If you guys haven't noticed, Minato, in this story, is really protective of his twin sister. He curses Tartarus, the Dark Hour, and Shinjiro because they, in his eyes, all ruined his sister's life, making things more rough for her. He really just wants her to be happy... And he believes that everything in turn has made her more sad and distant.

Anyway, so do you guys hate me now? Hehe... sorry. *sweats nervously* Anyway, this is the longest chapter that I've posted so far. I was hoping you guys would be happy about that, and then I ended up pulling this on you guys. :'D Well, hope you guys continue following this story! I really, really enjoy making it. :3

~theIdiosocracy, Dio-chan and **Cy-kun**


	6. Chapter 6: Mixed Feelings

Gahhh, this might not be the best chapter ever. e.e Sorry guys, I've been running out of ideas, so I just pieced this one together for the sake of posting a new chapter. Well, at least it has at least a _little bit _of story/character development in there. Please forgive me!

**Hope you enjoy it, nonetheless. *looks at Dio-chan passing out* Yeahh... She's too tired to say anything else.**

* * *

"*sighs*..." The auburn girl stared at her phone, checking the time. She was standing right outside of the school gate, waiting for Yukari. The brunette had requested to walk home together, saying that she wanted to talk about what happened between Minato and Junpei. Minato had been quiet, and Hamuko hadn't been able to talk to Junpei ever since that…

A familiar skipping sounded behind Hamuko, and she looked back, putting her phone away.

"Sorry I took so long, Hamuko-chan!" Yukari exclaimed, trotting over. "These freshmen never pick up after themselves!"

Hamuko simply giggled a bit, hiding her quiet sadness. "It's okay," she responded. "I wasn't waiting out here for too long." Yukari flashed the other girl a smile, and the two continued on their way.

There was silence for a while, neither of them having the courage to break it. It continued on even after they had gotten off the train. Finally, a sigh emitted from Yukari, and Hamuko switched her gaze to her brunette friend.

"Surely, you're not okay with this." Yukari frowned at Hamuko, the other female's sad eyes darting to the ground in response. "Come on…" The brown eyed female tightened her grip on her school bag. "You have to tell me something, Hamuko-chan. I know you're not okay. You can't just hide it underneath a smile all the time…"

Hamuko looked up to Yukari, her lips quivering. "I…," she started. She sighed shakily, "Yeah, I'm not okay with it." Her eyes shifted back to the ground. "I haven't talked to Junpei. I don't know if he's okay. I'm not mad at Mina-kun… All he did was protect me. He's always been like that." The auburn girl rubbed her arm. "Junpei hasn't answered any of my texts or calls. He doesn't want to talk to me." She bit her lip. "I just…" The girl stopped walking. "I want to make a quick stop somewhere. Can we?"

Surprised, Yukari quickly stumbled out, "Y-yeah, of course. Where to?"

Hamuko didn't respond and quickly made her way to a path Yukari had never been through before. Even then, it was evident that Hamuko herself had been through this path many times. She skillfully made her path to their current destination without hesitating or making any wrong turns. As soon as they had reached their destination, Yukari was stunned. She stopped, and Hamuko walked on ahead for a bit before stopping and crouching down.

Yukari watched as Hamuko smiled sadly before whispering a quiet, "Hey, Shinji-kun." Her hand reached out to touch the portrait on the headstone. "That smile doesn't suit you," she laughed. "Where's that grumpy frown, or the harsh little lectures you would give me? Where are those cold brown eyes that I tried so hard to warm?" The girl rested her head on the cold stone surface. "...Where are _you_?" Hamuko's tears dripped down to the earth, her quiet sobbing making Yukari's own tears drip down her face. "I love you." Hamuko's voice cracked through her sobs. "So why won't you say it back? I don't care if you call me an idiot. I just want to hear it…"

The pain that Hamuko had been hiding away from Yukari made the brunette feel stupid. The girl had always been hurt, but her lying smiles hid it all away. She didn't shut everyone out like her twin brother did - she let everyone in. Even if she ended up getting hurt, she would just brush it aside and put on a smile, not wanting anyone to worry.

Quietly, the auburn girl stood up and wiped her tears from her face, proving useless as more streamed out from her eyes. She looked over to Yukari and immediately pulled her into a hug.

"I fucking miss him," Hamuko said. "I love him so much, and…" Yukari held Hamuko as she cried, the countless amount of tears soaking into the other girl's pink jacket. "I want to be with Junpei, still." Hamuko bit her lip. "I love Senpai, but I can't be with him anymore. I can only be with Junpei... And Junpei makes me happy too. So..." Yukari held Hamuko tighter as she quietly sobbed into her shoulder.

A few moments passed, and Hamuko finally let go. "I'm fine now," she sighed. She walked past Yukari and looked back, smiling. "Let's get back to the dorm, shall we? Mina-kun is gonna worry." She giggled, a small tear creeping from her eyes. "Wouldn't want his precious Yukari-chan to get into some trouble."

…

"We're baack!" Hamuko sang into the lounge of the dorm.

"Ah," a response came from Mitsuru, "you're quite lively today, Arisato-san." At this, Hamuko frowned, saying, "Of course. I'm not dead like Mina-kun." Mitsuru chuckled and continued to speak, "Have any of you seen Iori, by any chance?"

Yukari closed the door behind her and said, "I don't think we saw Junpei as we were coming back." She looked over at Hamuko and the auburn agreed with the statement. Yukari turned her gaze to Fuuka. "Where do you think he might be?"

Fuuka spoke up, "Um, he might be at the arcade. He's been hanging out there lately. Why? Shall we have someone go fetch him?"

"Well," Mitsuru started, "there wasn't anything in particular I wanted him to do. I was just a bit worried, seeing as he's been coming back as late as he can recently."

"But isn't that just Junpei in general?" Yukari questioned.

"Hmm, I suppose you are correct, Takeba."

"I-I can go get him!" Hamuko suddenly yelled. The girls looked at the auburn, surprised. "I mean, I've been meaning to talk to him anyway. At least this time he'll have to face me."

Yukari was about to speak up, but Mitsuru interrupted, sighing, "Very well, Arisato-san. Don't be out too late. I don't want to have to send Arisato-kun after you too."

"Thanks, Senpai!"

Hamuko rushed out the door, leaving her school bag behind. The door closed behind her, and Yukari looked over at Mitsuru.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari picked up the discarded the school bag.

"Don't worry," Mitsuru replied, turning her attention back to the book she was reading. "If they don't show up half an hour before curfew, I'll send Arisato-kun after them. The Arisato twins are very responsible, after all."

…

"Damn it!" Junpei cursed. "I lost again!" He slammed his hand on the machine, instantly regretting it as his palm turned a painful bright red. He sighed loudly, slumping down on the ground.

_**[I can't fucking concentrate! All I've been thinking about is that day, that **_**day**_**! I could've done something. Hamuko, Chidori… I can't save the people that I love. I'm useless, so useless…]**_

Junpei stood up and gripped the rim of his hat, pulling it down to cover his eyes. He shoved his hands down his pockets and was about to walk off when he heard Hamuko's voice calling out to him.

"Geez," she breathed out, "why have you been ignoring me?"

Junpei laughed a bit, "Straight to the point, eh?" He pulled his hat back a bit.

"Of course!" the female frowned. "I've always been like that."

"I didn't expect you to come find me. Did someone put you up to it?" Junpei grinned. Suddenly, he pulled Hamuko into a hug. He quietly whispered an apology, then pulled back. Hamuko looked up at his face questionably, blushing a bit. "I mean…" The male sighed. "I'm not worthy of you, you know? I mean, your twin even told me that he isn't gonna trust me with you anymore." The female looked down at the ground, kicking it a bit. "I can't protect you. And I want to be able to protect you. I don't want this to end up like Chidori… So I just… I want to be your friend, okay? W-we'll continue on being best friends! Come on, we'll kick Nyx's ass together! Whaddya say?"

Hamuko stared at Junpei's face, his gray eyes quietly hiding the sadness within.

_[Am I the only one who still wants to be together? Even after all this? Surely not...] _

She smiled painfully, "Yeah, okay! We'll beat its ass together!"

"Great!" Junpei chuckled, bringing his arm around Hamuko's shoulder.

**_[At least I can be sure that she won't be around an idiot like me for long. I can't be trusted around her. If I can't protect her, I'll keep her away from me. Even I don't want to trust myself anymore.]_**

"Now," Junpei said quietly, "let's head back before Minato kills me again."

Hamuko laughed lightly, but couldn't help wondering…

_[I'm not the only one who has mixed feelings, am I?]_

* * *

**Dio-chan hopes you all enjoyed this. She wants to apologize if it was a crappy chapter. She thanks you if you forgive her for it. Sorry, I'm not very good at coming up with something like this. Please look forward to the next chapter. Dio-chan promises that she has a nice idea for it.**

~theIdiosocracy, Dio-chan and **Cy-kun**


	7. Chapter 7: Happiness

Hey, hey, look at that! Another chapter by the next day! Hehe, though, this one isn't really that good as well. e.e ***pats Dio-chan* It's okay, you did your best.** Thanks, Cy-kun. qq

Quick note, most of the dialogue in this chapter is derived from the actual game itself. Of course, I didn't actually copy it word for word. e.e I shortened the sentences up a bit and added a couple of my own words. Sorry if the dialogue bores you. *sweats nervously*

* * *

_[Best friends, best friends… Just like that day, eh?]_

Hamuko sighed, staring out the window of the train. She had on her headphones, warning anyone to refrain from talking to her. She gazed down at the ocean sadly.

_[So even if I do confess, nothing changes, right? It just slips from my fingers before I even get a proper grip on it. Damn it…]_

The announcer sounded her stop, and she stood up to get to school, catching a glimpse of Minato from the corner of her eye. Minato nodded at her and walked over. The female paused her music and took off her headphones to listen to what her twin had to say.

"I heard you went out to talk to Junpei the other night," he spoke. "What happened?"

The girl looked at her brother with a quiet sadness, and said, "Nothing much. He wanted to stay friends. I'm okay with that, I guess." She shrugged, and Minato whispered an apology.

"If I hadn't hit him and called him useless, you two would still be together. I was wrong. I'm the one that ruins you, not them."

Hamuko smiled at him. "It's not your fault, Mina-kun. You've always been like that. You just wanted to make sure that I was in the right hands. And I love you for doing that." A faint smile lit up Minato's face, and Hamuko added, "Just make sure you treat Yukari-chan in the same way." A quiet blush appeared across his cheeks, causing the girl to laugh in a carefree manner. She was glad she was able to tease her brother in this way, even if he couldn't do the same.

…

The bell rang, sounding the end of the school day.

"Guess we'll have to continue another day," Ms Toriumi sighed. "Couldn't think of a way to end that lesson anyway…"

The students stood, most of them filing out of the classroom.

"I have cleaning duty today," Hamuko sighed loudly. Yukari and Minato looked over to Hamuko, laughing as she complained about her job. "Yukari-chan, you mind filling in for me? I'm so tiiired."

"Haha, no way!" Yukari giggled. "Maybe you shouldn't have stayed in Tartarus for so long!"

"Mina-kuuuun." Hamuko looked over at her twin, her eyes begging for help. The boy simply sighed and shook his head.

"Sorry," he apologized, "but I've got stuff to do, Sis." He walked over and simply patted her on the back. "Maybe Junpei will help out." He winked at her, and she smacked his hand. The boy yelped and jumped back, rubbing his hand.

At this, Mitsuru entered the classroom. She looked over at the siblings and walked over to them. Mitsuru spoke, "Arisato-san, I'd like to have a word with you." The twins looked up, surprised at the sudden request.

"Would you like the both of us, or just Muko-chan?" Minato looked at Mitsuru questionably, the elder nervously rubbing her arm.

"Just Hamuko would be fine. Please follow me to the Student Council room… There's something I'd like to discuss."

"O-okay then…" Hamuko looked over at Yukari as Mitsuru walked out of the classroom. The brunette shrugged, and Junpei, catching sight of this, gave the group a confused look. Opening the classroom door, Hamuko shouted back, "Hey, Junpei, you're up next on the cleaning list!"

"H-huh!?" Junpei panicked, "Wait, wait! That can't be right!" Hamuko closed the door behind her, snickering. "What kinda rule is that!?"

…

Hamuko walked into the Student Council room, and Mitsuru turned as she entered.

"Arisato-san…" Mitsuru sighed. "Do you remember the girl that was affiliated with Strega? Her name is Chidori if I remember correctly."

Hamuko nodded, "Why? What's wrong?"

Mitsuru looked over to the side and nervously rubbed her arm again. "There's a chance she might wake up today." Hamuko looked over in shock, and Mitsuru continued, "A few days after the incident, her body began to undergo Transmogrification. We're not sure as to why that is. In fact, we're still trying to figure this out. However, I wanted to talk about how you want to break the news to Iori. As you know, once a body goes into Transmogrification, their memories will fade."

Just then, Mitsuru's cell phone rang. She picked it up and had a brief conversation with the person on the other line. As she hung up, she sighed once again. "The hospital called. Chidori has just woken up. It seems impossible… Though she has been confirmed dead, Chidori has been brought back to life-"

Mitsuru's sentence was interrupted by the door creaking open. Junpei looked over in shock.

"W-wait," he stuttered. "Did I hear that right? T-this isn't just some sick joke right? Chidori's _alive_?"

Mitsuru responded, "Chidori is alive. She's being treated at the hospital as we speak."

"But, Junpei-kun," Hamuko looked at him sadly, "she's probably… she probably won't…"

Junpei darted out of the room, stumbling over the broom he had discarded onto the ground. Yukari yelled after him, but he ignored her, running down the stairs.

_**[Chidori's alive! Chidori's alive, and I…!]**_

Hamuko looked back at Mitsuru sadly, and Yukari entered the classroom. "Perhaps it's best that he found out this way," Mitsuru nodded.

Yukari glanced over at Hamuko questionably. "Found what out?" she asked.

Hamuko spoke up, "Chidori's… alive."

…

When the group reached the hospital, they saw Junpei outside the room, catching his breath. Hamuko looked over quietly, and Minato put a hand on her shoulder. Junpei finally opened the door and entered, along with Mitsuru and the twins. Yukari, Fuuka, and Aigis stayed right outside the door.

Junpei stared at Chidori in shock, unable to say anything. Chidori stared back questionably. Hamuko looked over at the two, forcing herself to let out a quiet smile. Minato held his sister's hand and gripped it tightly. Hamuko squeezed her twin's hand, shaking.

_[She's alive, she's alive. Junpei will be happy. I should be happy. So… why can't I be happy? Am I really that selfish?]_

The doctor explained that she had completely healed and there was no longer any danger of her dying in two years. Junpei knelt down next to Chidori's bed, sobbing. Chidori looked at him, asking what he was doing.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized through his sobs. "I'm just so happy… It really is you… You're alive, Chidori."

The girl cocked her head to the side, and asked, "Who are you? How do you know me?"

Junpei looked up in shock. "Surely you…"

Hamuko spoke, "Junpei… she doesn't know who you are. She… she's lost all of her memories. Once a person undergoes Transmogrification…"

Mitsuru nodded, "Arisato-san is right. She lacks the potential."

"My name is Chidori Yoshino," Chidori said. "I apologize, but it seems I've forgotten everything from the past few years. Everything seemed very much like a dream."

"Junpei-kun…" Hamuko looked down at him apologetically, and he laughed.

"It's alright," he said. "It's better for her to forget about it. All those things about the Shadows and the Dark Hour… It's not a bad thing to wake up from a nightmare, you know?"

Chidori frowned. "Excuse me, don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say I was having a nightmare. In the end, I met a kind, warm person. I don't remember so clearly, but I wanted him to be happy."

Junpei laughed, his tears running down his cheeks. Hamuko smiled, and quietly dismissed herself from the room.

_[Junpei's happy. He really is happy. I can be happy for him, right?]_

The auburn sighed, walking past the girls. She sat down at a nearby bench, and Yukari sat down next to her. "Yukari-chan…" Hamuko's red eyes searched for Yukari's brown ones. Tears suddenly came out, and the girls pulled each other into a hug.

_[Why can't I be happy? Why am I the one to suffer? Everything is slipping away from me again… Am I truly forbidden to feel happiness?]_

* * *

I'm kinda sad about this chapter, since it wasn't so much as my own writing - this chapter was completely based off of what happened when Chidori woke up, complete with Hamuko's thoughts and feelings. That's why I was able to write it so quickly. *laughs nervously*

The series is going to be ending soon. As you know, the date is now 1/21/10... Which means Nyx will be coming in 10 days. Until then... look forward to the next chapter!

~theIdiosocracy, Dio-chan and **Cy-kun**


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